Moreton Bay deploys wireless video surveillance network

Using funds from the Federal Government’s Safer Cities project, Moreton Bay Regional Council contracted Link Security Group to deploy the most extensive wireless IP video surveillance network in Australia, with 130 square kilometres of mesh coverage.

Moreton Bay Regional Council is the third-largest local government in Australia, with an estimated population of 370,000. The system integrates wireless infrastructure mesh from Firetide, network cameras from Axis Communications and video management software from Milestone Systems.

Link Security Group was selected based on its proposed solution’s ability to overcome challenges in the design and deployment of the surveillance network. Chief among those were designing a completely wireless high-bandwidth video solution that would not be affected by weather conditions, rust, corrosion or vandalism. Most importantly, the system needed to be built under a critical timeline and meet the requirement to transmit high-resolution and HDTV live video feeds.

The extended coverage area and stringent performance specifications were the major factors in selecting wireless product for this project. Link decided to use Firetide’s wireless infrastructure mesh network that could meet these requirements and provide the necessary performance and reliability. 42 Firetide outdoor mesh nodes form the infrastructure backbone of the project, supporting close to 50 outdoor IP video surveillance cameras.

In addition to all-wireless infrastructure, the project is also the first in Australia to incorporate Axis HDTV cameras alongside Firetide’s mesh wireless technology. Link chose Axis Communications’ rugged outdoors cameras for the installation, including pan-tilt-zoom Q6032-E cameras for their impressive optics package, and fixed HDTV P1344 cameras for the ability to transmit video at 30 frames per second in HD resolution. Milestone XProtect open-platform video management software supports multiple server applications and unlimited IP cameras. The benefit of the Milestone VMS in this project is that although the council’s initial requirement is to support the IP cameras, there is an opportunity for the Milestone platform to integrate the council’s existing large population of analog CCTV cameras.

“Firetide represents the very best in cutting-edge wireless technology, with its wireless infrastructure mesh optimised for the transmission of surveillance video,” said Alex Baulden, Senior Network Engineer of Link Security Group.

“Firetide clearly has the best-in-class hardware for a project of this size. The security and reliability of communications were critical, and performance we’ve seen in the field is impressive.” The network is currently ahead of the project delivery schedule, and Link intends to transfer system ownership to the council within months.

Bo Larsson, Chief Executive Officer of Firetide, said, “The fact that our wireless networks can place surveillance cameras in locations without existing network infrastructure is crucial for public safety agencies whether they are looking to revitalise urban areas or prevent and prosecute crime.”